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The pulse is deep, fine, and slow; the exterior appears plump but the interior is deficient, with excessive consumption of alcohol and insufficient intake of grains. The ailment has persisted for three years. During episodes, there is epigastric fullness and belching, along with inadequate urination. Although abstaining from alcohol in recent years has kept the disease in check, mental vitality and daily routines have not returned to their former state. Any slight dietary imbalance causes discomfort in the epigastrium, raising concern about the recurrence of the root cause; thus, strategies for post-illness care are discussed, embodying the principle of "treating the disease before it arises" rather than after it has manifested. Only when the Spleen and Stomach are clear and harmonious can Qi and Blood be generated. Wine, being the liquid of fermented grains, has a fierce nature; upon entering the Stomach, it causes gastric distension and counterflow of Qi, filling the chest, thereby leading to such ailments. Although the disease has now resolved, the "Official of the Granary" (Spleen and Stomach) has not yet quickly reverted to its original state of clarity and harmony. The plan is to nourish and regulate the Spleen and Stomach to support transformation and transportation. Examining ancient methods of treatment, there are distinctions among decoctions, pastes, pills, and powders: diseases of the Heart and Lungs in the Upper Jiao are suitable for decoctions and pastes; diseases of the Liver and Kidneys in the Lower Jiao are suitable for pills; diseases of the Spleen and Stomach in the Middle Jiao are suitable for powders. By examining the cause of the disease, medication will naturally hit the mark.

Although Qibo stated that all Zang and Fu organs can cause cough, his emphasis lies entirely on the Lung. The skin and hair are the external correspondence of the Lung. When pathogenic factors first invade the skin and hair, they follow this connection inward; if combined with cold, and food enters the Stomach, traveling up via the Stomach meridian to the Lung, it induces Lung cold. Lung cold leads to the convergence of internal and external pathogens, which then lodge within, resulting in Lung cough. Cough is inseparable from the Lung, just as malaria is inseparable from the Shaoyang channel. According to the account, the onset occurred during summer heat, when exposure to cool wind in the morning was compounded by drinking cold liquids. Initially, there was mild coughing, which gradually worsened despite taking medicine for over a month without cessation. The Classic states: "Cold affecting the body and cold drinks injure the Lung." This is the primary cause of the illness. Physicians only recognized the hot weather but failed to observe the internal cold of the viscera, frequently administering moistening agents in hopes of clearing heat and stopping cough. This approach is as misguided as using a compass pointing south while in Yan; no wonder the more medicine is taken, the more frequent the cough becomes. The Lung is a delicate organ; although it fears heat, it fears cold even more. Metal (Lung) being punished by Fire certainly causes cough, but cold Metal and cold Water also cause cough. In the principles of the Five Elements, generation contains restriction, and restriction contains generation. Metal does generate Water. However, if Metal is cold, Water becomes cold; unless Fire restricts Metal, Metal cannot generate Water. It is like water freezing and earth cracking, yet still being pressed down by frost and snow—how could it endure? The pulse is deep and fine, the mouth is not dry or thirsty, and despite the height of summer, the back still feels aversion to wind. Unless the middle is warmed and pathogens are cleared, how can vitality return like spring? If one continues to delay and neglect, the cold pathogen will not resolve, prolonged coughing will damage the Lung, and the situation will become difficult to manage. Therefore, the method of Wenshen Tang (Warming Lung Decoction) is proposed.

Note by Anbo: Treating cough is perhaps the most difficult of symptoms. Xu Lingtai studied medicine for thirty years before mastering the treatment of cough. No wonder mediocre physicians, upon seeing a cough, immediately resort to Shashen Maimen Dong Tang (Glehnia and Ophiopogon Decoction), causing significant harm, which is both lamentable and infuriating.